criswell



Feb. 7. 1956 c, s. cmsw 2,733,497

TILE SETTER Filed April 15, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 k C Fig.5 .2

Feb. 7, 1956 g, 5, cmsw 2,733,497

TILE SETTER Filed April 15, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2,733,497 lgtentedFeb. 7, 1956 V THE SETTER Cleon S. Criswell, Lansdale,

Encaustic Tiling Company, corporation of New York Pa., assignor toAmerican Inc., New York, N. Y., a

This invention relates to tile setters and a principal object of theinvention is to provide a tile setter of generally improved formandfunctional properties.

The invention residesalso in certain novel structural detailshereinafter described and illustrated in the attached drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational View of a tile setter made in accordancewith theinvention;

Fig.2 is an end elevational view of the tile setter;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the tile setter;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the tile setter on the line 44, Fig 1;

Fig. is a fragmentary view in perspective of one end of a plate member;

"Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary end elevational view showing detailsof structure, and 7 Figs. 7 and 8 are respectively end and sideelevational views showing two of the tile setters in normal stackedrelation. 7

With reference to the drawings, a tile setter made in accordance withthe invention comprises two end members, 1 and 2 respectively, and avertical series of horizontal plates 3 supported by and between saidmembers. Each of the plates has a tongue, 4 and 5 respectively.

. at the opposite ends which fit into slotted openings 6 in the endmembers 1 and 2, and preferably, the tongues are cemented in theopenings 6 so as to form a strong and rigid connection between the endmembers and the plates and to afford a substantially rigid, strong thesetter structure of the general form illustrated.

With further reference to the end members 1. and 2, these are identicalin character so that a detailed description of one will suflice. Asshown in Fig. 2, the opposite side edges 7 and 8 of these members arerecessed as indicated at 9, these recesses extending over the majorheight of the member so that in face profile, the member exhibits theform of an I. The upper surface 11 of the member is provided with a pairof upstanding elongated bosses 12 and 13 which lie respectively at theopposite ends of said surface and which extend from the end edgesinwardly toward and terminate just short of the transverse center lineof said surface. As shown in Fig. 3,.the flange 12 lies at the oppositelongitudinal side edge of the surface 11 from the flange 13. The innerend of each of these flanges, i; e. the end which adjoins the saidtransverse center line, is slightly recessed as indicated at 14 and 15respectively; and the inner end edges 16 and 17, and the innerlongitudinal side edges 18 and 19 of the flanges are bevelled asindicated. Also, the inner terminal edges of the recesses 14 and 15 arebevelled as indicated at 21 and 22. As also shown in Fig. 3,thetransverse width of each'of the flanges 12 and 13 is somewhat lessthan one-half the overall transverse width of the end surface 11.

The bottom surface 23 of the end member is provided with flanges 24 and25 which correspond in form, dimension, and relative location to theflanges 12 and 13 of 2 the upper surface described'above, with theexception that the positions of the flanges 24 and 25 are reversed withrespect to the longitudinal side edges of the surface 23, so that theflange 24 adjoins the same face of the end member as the flangelZ at thetop of the end member and the flanges '25 and 13 adjoin the oppositeside face. In other words, the flanges'of the top and bottom surfaceswhich lie on the same side of a longitudinal median plane normal to thefaces of the end member, will respectively adjoin the oppositelongitudinal side edges of the two surfaces, so that if two end membersin normal vertical position are superimposed in aligned relation oneupon the other the flanges on the upper end surface of the lower memberwill in effect mesh with the flanges on the-lower end surface of theupper member so as to preelude relative displacement of the members inthe horizontal directions. Since the end members areidentic al,

, it follows that the same relative positioning of the flanges prevailsat the opposite end of the tile setter unit, so that if any twounits'are mounted one upon another, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, aridregardless of which end overlies another, the flanges at both ends willenter the aforesaid intermeshed relation to afford a stable stack inwhich the flanges function to preclude relative lateral displacement ofthe units. r 1

The form of the plates 3. is best illustrated in Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive.Each of the plates is slightly less in overall width than the minimumwidth of the end members so that when the tongues 4 of the plates areinserted in the apertures 6, the side edges of the plates will beslightly inset from the proximate edges of the end members. The tongues4 of the plates are preferably only slightly less in width and thicknessthan the length and height of the slotted openings 6 so that the tonguesfit freely within the slots, and the effective length of the tongues issuch that in assembly with the end members, the outer end surfaces ofthe tongues are approximately flush with but do not project beyond theouter faces of the end members. As shown in Fig. 5, each of the tongueshas shallow recesses 31, 32, 33 and 34 in the upper and lower surfaces,these recesses extending inwardly from the terminal end surface of thetongue and being relatively shallow. The

The corners 35 of the tongues 4 are rounded and each of these roundedcorners terminates at the side edge of the tongue in a shoulder 36 sothat when the tongue is inserted in an opening 6 in the end member aclearance space will be provided between the rounded corner of thetongue and the confronting rounded corner surface of the recess; thisspace is clearly indicated in Fig. 6 by the reference numeral 37. Itisevident from the foregoing description that the recesses 31, 32, 33and 34 and the recesses 37 provide substantial clearance spaces 'betweenthe confronting surfaces of the tongue and the apertures 6, over andabove the normal clearances shown in Fig. 6 and form cement receivingpockets by means of which the tongues and their plates may be rigidlycementitiously bonded in and to the end members. It will be notedfurther that the end surfaces of the plates between the longitudinalside edges of the plate and the corresponding edges of the tongues arerecessed so that the end surfaces of the plates abut the inner faces ofthe end members only in the limited areas 38 and 39 which adjointheouter side edges of the plates. This insures a solid and entirely stableseating of the ends of the plates against the inner faces of the endmembers and entirely relieves the tongue-and-socket joint of tortionalstrains that might arise from an unstable interseating of the endmembers and plate ends.

The faces of the plates are grooved 'asillustrated in Figs. 3 and 4,these grooves, 41, in the present instance and also the interveningridges 42; having rounded crosssectional contours so as to avoidobjectionable sharp inner corners and lines of potential fracture and toafiord minimum contact area between the plates and tiles resting uponthe upper surfaces thereof. 7 a

The aforedescribed construction is well adapted to production of thetile setter from conventional refractory materials, and afiords a unitof highly desirable structural and functional characteristics. The unitsmay be mounted in stable and closely set stacks upon the kiln cars withassurance of free and uniform'access of the heated gases to theindividual tiles. The fact that the unit comprises components of onlytwo diflerent and relatively simple forms and the ease with which theparts may be assembled insures relative economy of manufacture.

I claim: 7

1. A tile setter unit comprising a pair of upright end members and aplurality of tile-supporting plates supported on and between saidmembers in vertically spaced series, said unit being adapted forassembly in vertically 4 stacked relation with other like units with theend members of each unit aligned with and seating on the end members ofthe adjoining lower unit, said end members having flat body portions ofI-form face profile and having a vertical series of horizontal slottedopenings, and tongues of lesser width than and projecting from the endsof said plates into said openings and cemented in the latter to securethe plates to the end members, the confronting surfaces of the tonguesand openings being relatively formed to provide cement retaining voidsbetween said surfaces, and the end surfaces of the plates at the sidesof the tongues being recessed so as to confine the contact of saidsurfaces with the inner faces of the end members to limited areas at theouter ends of said surfaces.

2. A tile setter according to claim 1 wherein the voids are formed byrecesses in the tongue surfaces.

References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS GreatBritain Dec. 12, 1918

